Militants mutilate soldier’s body in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district

The Army on Friday said Pakistan Army-backed infiltrators had mutilated the body of a soldier, who was killed in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district during a gunfight.

A Srinagar-based Army spokesman said a soldier and a militant were killed close to the Line of Control in the Machil sector on Thursday evening after a face-off between soldiers manning the border and the infiltrators.“In a despicable act, the terrorist mutilated the body of the soldier before fleeing into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), supported by covering fire from Pakistani Army posts,” the Army spokesman said.

“This barbarism is a true reflection of the mindset of official and non-official organisations across the border. This act will invite an appropriate response,” he said.

On Thursday, a soldier was killed and another injured when the Army foiled an infiltration bid in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. On Friday, the BSF claimed to have killed 15 Pakistani Rangers in “retaliatory fire” in the past week.

In the wake of three casualties inflicted on the BSF since last Friday, BSF Deputy Inspector General Dharmendra Pareek said: “There are inputs of at least 15 Pakistan Rangers being killed in retaliatory fire on the international border. We have been witnessing heavy firing since October